Depot Climbing Nottingham turns an old tram depot into a bouldering hub

On King Edward Street, a short walk from the heart of Nottingham, an old tram depot has found a lively new purpose. Depot Climbing Nottingham opened its doors on 1 October 2012 and has since developed and expanded its wall to become what it calls Nottingham's premier bouldering wall.

Bouldering is climbing without ropes or harnesses, on walls of modest height above thick matting. At the Depot the walls reach up to four metres, and the centre offers around 1,000 square metres of floor space with more than 300 boulders for all abilities. There is also a mezzanine bouldering area and a Tension 2 system climbing board for those who like to train hard.

What stands out is how welcoming the place sets out to be. Social sessions include a free brew and an icebreaker, with an instructor on hand, which makes them a good way to meet other climbers. Adults can join Fundamentals classes, performance training or one-to-one coaching.

Families are well looked after too. Junior sessions start from age one, Depot Play offers climbing for children under five alongside a parent or carer, and holiday sessions for ages seven and up include all equipment. Instructors are DBS checked and NSPCC child protection trained.

The centre also has a cafe serving hand-crafted coffee and snacks, designed as a relaxed space for climbers to socialise. Students are offered £9 entry days and term-friendly passes, and the centre runs discounted entry for concessions on selected days, as well as a family pass.

Getting there is straightforward. There is secure bike storage inside, the Curzon Street bus stop is seconds away, and Nottingham train station is about a 20-minute walk. Parking on site is very limited, though there is a large car park on Curzon Street nearby.

The Nottingham centre is part of the wider Depot Climbing group, which also runs walls in Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Birmingham.

First-time visitors need to complete a registration form and answer a few safety questions, and full details of sessions and prices are on the Depot Climbing website.